


Making Friends, And Keeping Them

by Laora



Category: Gundam 00
Genre: F/M, Lockon is the world's biggest troll, and Saji is really really confused, in which Setsuna is planning homicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-30
Updated: 2016-08-30
Packaged: 2018-08-12 00:59:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7914217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laora/pseuds/Laora
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Saji has never considered that his recluse of a neighbor might actually be capable of making friends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Making Friends, And Keeping Them

**Author's Note:**

> Pretty much no spoilers whatsoever. Set at some point in the first part of season 1, before the wedding.
> 
> Headcanon: just like Setsuna introduced himself as Kamal to Marina, Lockon also has a 'codename' to give people, because who would believe his real name is Lockon Stratos? Hence, the birth of Mark Finnegan. Allelujah refuses to use any name but the one Marie gave him, so they just have to explain it away as quirky parenting whenever Alle's in the field and hope nobody questions it.
> 
> Also, I have this headcanon that Alle is really good at picking up conversational fluency quickly—which is my excuse for him knowing enough Japanese to get by, haha.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys like the fic :)

It's true that Saji only rarely sees Setsuna F. Seiei around the apartment complex…or at all. The boy doesn't look like he should be old enough to live on his own, let alone not attend school—but when Saji does see him coming and going, he never carries a book bag, always has a severe frown on his face, and goes out of his way to avoid small talk and general pleasantries.

Saji isn't sure what he's done to offend the kid, but he tries not to be angry about it.

He's sure Setsuna lives alone—is just as sure that he rarely actually stays in the apartment—but knows better than to pry into the kid's personal business. He's clearly not from Japan, despite his name; he has the coloring and looks of someone from the Middle East, and his Japanese is just a little too structured to be fluent. But Saji isn't one to judge—especially with what's happening in that part of the world right now, he thinks Setsuna was lucky to get out when he could—and only allows himself to wonder at his strange neighbor's business.

It's late on a Sunday morning, and though Kinue is in the newsroom, Saji is caught up on his homework and has planned to run some errands for his sister before his date with Louise this evening—who, he's almost certain, is _not_ finished with that fluid dynamics model. She'd only snap at him if he brought it up, though, and Saji isn't really in the mood to nag anyway, so he decides he's just going to enjoy his weekend for once.

As he's leaving his apartment, fumbling in his pockets briefly for his key, he glances over at movement to his left. He actually ran into Setsuna last night; he was late coming home from the library, it had been far past dark, and all he had wanted to do was cram some food into his mouth and pass out. But Setsuna arrived just seconds after he did, looking even more exhausted than Saji; his dark eyes were bloodshot, his hair was tangled, and his hands trembled slightly as he let himself into the apartment without even glancing Saji's way.

Unless he's already gone—less than twelve hours later, when it looked as if he could have slept for a week—Setsuna is in town for once.

…Which is why alarm bells raise in his mind that there are two tall, well-built men standing before his neighbor's door, looking rather chagrined as one knocks loudly, clearly not for the first time.

Maybe he's watched too much TV lately—read one too many ridiculous fantasy stories about conspiracies and secret societies (and Celestial Being's most recent intervention in North Korea certainly hasn't helped, either)—but his mind automatically jumps to ridiculous conclusions and won't let them go: these men are not here for good reasons.

After all, Setsuna is certainly younger than him, and several inches shorter—and these men are taller and significantly broader than Saji. If they wanted to attack or kidnap his neighbor, they would likely have little trouble. Though their faces aren't overly cruel-looking, the pale, European one that's knocking is getting more and more irritated as time goes on…

He could see these guys being part of some sort of mafia, he decides in the few seconds he can stand at his door without seeming suspicious. He doesn't know who Setsuna could have pissed off…but then, Celestial Being doesn't seem to discriminate, so long as someone is promoting war. After all, Saji has no idea what Setsuna does when he's not at home.

Setsuna is clearly gone again, or has no interest in answering the door, and the European man finally huffs in frustration and turns away just as Saji realizes he should probably move. He's trying to hurry without seeming to—he can let Setsuna know, if he sees him soon, that he may have dodged a bullet. While it's probably nothing (and honestly, this seems more like something Louise would come up with; she must be rubbing off on him), it's still a bit jarring.

After all, he finds it very hard to believe that Setsuna F. Seiei is capable of making friends, so anyone knocking at his door probably isn't friendly at all.

He's almost around the corner, out of sight of these strange men, when one calls down the hallway—"Hey, wait!"

His Japanese is heavily accented, but his intentions are clear; Saji reluctantly turns around, holding the strap of his bag a bit tighter as the darker man steps forward. The single visible eye (how on _Earth_ is that any sort of practical hairstyle) looks kind enough—the man doesn't seem about to murder him to cover up a crime, at the very least—but Saji still feels a bit on edge. "Do you know where Setsuna is? His phone is broken, but we are meeting him today."

Saji blinks at him, because that's something a friend would say—but these men are years older than Setsuna, and clearly aren't from around here. The European doesn't seem to speak Japanese, doesn't show any recognition as his partner haltingly speaks, but there's an intimidating intensity to his gaze as he watches Saji, waiting for an answer nonetheless.

"I…I don't, sorry," he says, and realizes his mistake almost immediately. He's never been much of a liar, and lying to potential mafia, potential _Celestial Being_ (no matter how ridiculous that is) is about the stupidest thing he's done in his life.

"Liar," the European says immediately, in English, glancing to his partner and clearly expecting Saji not to understand. He's rather offended.

"I can understand you, you know," he says in English as well, frowning at the two of them. The European turns, raising an eyebrow at Saji and considering him for a moment.

"So then, Mister English Speaker, why aren't you telling us the truth?"

His actual reasons would sound ridiculous, of course, but he isn't sure what else to tell them except the truth. "I—well, I only saw him for a few seconds last night, we came in about the same time," he says, glancing from one face to the other to make sure he won't have to make a run for it. "Didn't even say hello, he looked exhausted. I don't have any idea if he's still around…he's not home much."

The European huffs, crossing his arms and turning away—"I guess we'll try again later, then." His partner says something indecipherable under his breath that might be in agreement, and soon they're both walking the other way, down the hall.

Soon Saji is standing alone, staring at his neighbor's closed door, and wondering what exactly just happened.

.

.

As luck would have it, Saji sees that head of scruffy hair as he's returning late that afternoon, and hurries to catch up with him. After all, though he wouldn't consider Setsuna his friend _,_ per se, _he_ would still appreciate it if someone warned him about potentially dangerous strangers knocking at his door.

"Setsuna!" he calls, only several steps behind him when Setsuna gets in the elevator, his arms full of paper grocery bags. Setsuna's eyes flash to him, and Saji suspects he suppresses a sigh before holding the elevator door, allowing Saji to get on with him.

"Thank you," he says, rather breathless after that hurrying (after all, he's an engineer, not an athlete), smiling tentatively over at his neighbor. Setsuna, predictably, does not reply, and only pushes the button for their floor, seeming to resign himself to the horrors of an elevator ride with another human being.

Well, now is as good a time as any, especially if he's going to make a quick getaway as soon as they arrive at their apartments.

"Something strange happened this morning," he starts—perhaps too vague, because Setsuna only gives him a sidelong glance, clearly asking, _why are you trying to talk to me?_ He hurries to continue—"There were two big men knocking on your door, they were getting pretty angry that you weren't there. They asked me if I knew where you were."

_That_ gets Setsuna's attention; he turns to Saji fully, and his gaze is sharp as he gives him his full attention for quite possibly the first time ever. "What did they want?"

His voice is edged, and Saji wonders at that…wonders if his suspicions of Setsuna being in danger weren't so misguided after all. "They said they wanted to meet with you, but they were a lot older than you, and one of them didn't even speak Japanese. I told them I saw you last night, but I didn't know where you were today."

Setsuna says something under his breath in a language Saji doesn't recognizes, but is certainly sharp enough to be a swear; he jostles the grocery bags until they're balanced in one arm, reaching for his pants pocket before his face screws up and his hand falls limply at his side. He doesn't move to redistribute the groceries, though, and neither does his tense posture relax. Saji wonders whether he should offer to take the bags for him.

"What did they look like?" Setsuna all but demands instead, his expression severe and his gaze more focused than Saji has ever seen it. "Were they with the government?"

"I—I don't know," he says honestly, and where has this new, rather terrifying side of his benign neighbor come from? "They were dressed in pretty normal clothes, but like I said, they were big, and tall, and pretty angry looking…"

Setsuna's eyes narrow for a moment, and Saji feels the sudden urge to elaborate. "One of them was European, I think, he had long brown hair and a weird vest on." (Especially as it's the middle of summer—seriously, who _wears_ stuff like that when it's this hot out?) "And the other one was darker and had hair over half his face—I don't think they looked professional enough to be military, but they could be undercover or something—"

Setsuna sighs explosively as they reach their floor, and Saji was sure that if he were anyone else, he'd be rolling his eyes. "Those idiots," he mutters, stepping out of the elevator quickly and walking in the direction of their apartments.

"Do—do you know them, then?" Saji ventures, because while it's improbable, it would be a whole lot better than having military or Celestial Being after him. Setsuna sighs again, turning around and holding out his free hand, now looking more annoyed than ready for a fight.

"I need to borrow your phone."

"Uh—okay," he says, rather thrown, but digs dutifully through his pocket for the device, handing it over to Setsuna. He flips it open without a word, punches in a quick number from memory, sets it to voice-only mode, and waits impatiently as it rings.

The person picks up after three rings, and his voice is suspicious but undeniably familiar as he says in English, "Hello?"

Setsuna lists off a quick, near-indecipherable stream of nonsensical words in several languages that makes Saji's head spin, but when the voice speaks again, it's relaxed. _Some sort of code? What the hell…_

"Setsuna, where are you?" And yes, that's the voice of the tall European man he met this morning, but only sounding exasperated now instead of irritated. "Where were you this morning? We told you we were coming by—"

"You told me you were thinking about coming," Setsuna deadpans, and Saji could laugh at the annoyed expression on his face if he wasn't sure his neighbor would deck him for it. "I never said that I would be there to greet you."

The man laughs uproariously, then, and it's such a stark contrast to the irritated face he saw this morning that Saji has trouble reconciling the two. "Well, are you there now? And whose phone are you using, anyway?"

"My neighbor's," Setsuna admits grudgingly, because of course this means admitting that he is, indeed, at home. "The same neighbor you scared the hell out of. He thought you were _military,_ wouldn't stop babbling about it on the way up here."

The man laughs again, and Saji feels his face coloring. Seriously, he tries to help out, and _this_ is the thanks he gets? "Sorry, Setsuna's neighbor," the voice calls out, and Saji snorts at the sheer ridiculousness of it. "We'll make it up to you when we swing by—maybe you can come over, yeah? Setsuna needs a break from work, maybe hanging out with someone else will do him good!"

"I do _not,_ " Setsuna starts, his face contorting in disapproval, but the other man cuts him off, saying—

"We'll be there in half an hour—if you don't answer the door, we'll just knock it down!"

And that, apparently, is the end of that.

Setsuna sighs explosively again with a sharp frown, so different from the stoic face Saji is used to that he's not sure what to say in response. The boy inputs a series of commands into the phone before handing it back—and when Saji glances down quickly, there's no record in the log that a call was just made.

What the hell? What kind of security does Setsuna work for?

"You will _not_ be coming over," Setsuna says imperiously, his perpetual frown deeper than normal as he all but glares at Saji. "He's being ridiculous. They—"

"All right," Saji says quickly, throwing his hands up in surrender. "I don't need to visit with you and your friends. I'll just go home and we can pretend this never happened, yeah?"

Setsuna glares at him a moment longer before nodding sharply, turning on his heel and walking to his apartment without another word.

.

.

Saji stares at his phone for quite a while, alone in his apartment—punching in codes into the device's OS, triple-checking the call log, and all but hacking his phone to pieces—but there is no evidence at all that Setsuna called his friend (more than likely at an international number, and Saji winces at the thought of his phone bill) less than half an hour ago.

He didn't even know you could wipe information from phones that fully, let alone in the span of a few seconds—who _is_ his neighbor, anyway?

He's shocked out of his confusion when there's a sharp rap at the door—and Saji has a sinking suspicion he knows who it is as he stands slowly, glancing at the security cam briefly before he pulls the door open. Sure enough, the two men from this morning are there with Setsuna, and the European is smiling genially at him, in front of the other two. The darker man looks almost apologetic, smiling with a small shrug at Saji, but Setsuna…

Well, if looks could kill, the three of them would be smoldering ash all over Saji's front entrance.

"Turns out Setsuna's apartment is badly suited for entertaining," the European opens with, smile still firmly in place as he leans against the doorjamb. "So, we were wondering—" _he was wondering,_ Saji translates easily, from the mutinous glare on Setsuna's face and the other's wince, "whether we could hang out at your place instead!"

"Uh—" Saji falters, unsure of which plan of action is most likely to get him out alive. After all, Setsuna looks like he wishes nothing more than to murder all three of them with his bare hands, and then get back to…whatever he normally does with his life.

Well, he doesn't think he has any plans for the rest of the day.

"Okay," he hedges, stepping aside slightly to allow them entrance.

"Great!" the European says, his grin growing impossibly wider as he steps over the threshold (not removing his shoes, and Saji tries not to frown) and glancing around. "Your parents around? Don't want to intrude, but—"

"My sister's at work," he says, not offended, because it's a common question—and these people would have no way of knowing his family status. "We—um, it's just the two of us."

"Ah," he says, his face falling in something like empathy before the smile is back just as it was. He turns when the other two are slow to follow, pulling them both along by the arm through the doorway. Saji winces at the way Setsuna's face—impossibly—grows darker, and he would never venture to touch his neighbor so boldly, but this stranger doesn't even seem to notice; he's treating Setsuna familiarly, like a friend or a brother would, and Saji is still astonished that Setsuna F. Seiei has friends at all.

"I'm Mark," the European says as introduction, rather belatedly, but Saji is glad to have a name to put to this strange man. "This is Allelujah—yeah, we know it's weird."

Saji hadn't planned to say anything, but he had certainly thought it—but he swallows his confusion and vague concern as he looks between the three of them. "I'm Saji," he replies after a moment, realizing Mark is waiting for a response. "Um, I'm not sure what you wanted for entertainment, but we don't have a whole lot either…"

"You've got a television," Mark points out, and Saji blinks. "You're doing better than Setsuna already!"

Saji glances over as Allelujah hesitates in the front entrance, taking in the barely-visible living room around his friends before looking to Saji's stocking feet and the closet full of shoes to his right. He seems to realize quickly, because he stoops to remove his own shoes—and calls after Mark before he walks further into the apartment, telling him to do the same.

Mark's smile grows a bit sheepish as he glances back to Saji before doing as he's told. Setsuna, surely, knows Japanese customs (for he has lived here for several months, now), but his shoes stay firmly on his feet, and he stares at Saji almost challengingly, as if _daring_ him to suggest he follow suit.

Saji resists from rolling his eyes—it's not like it's _his_ fault Setsuna's friends decided to crash his apartment, after all—and only turns, walking into the living room.

"Um, we've got some leftovers, if you want something to eat," he ventures, because it's the polite thing to do—but he had really hoped they would last him and Kinue through the end of the week.

"Nah, we ate earlier," Mark waves him off, following him into the apartment, and Saji heaves an internal sigh of relief. "We're just bored, have the weekend off work, thought we'd make Setsuna socialize."

So this _wasn't_ just because Setsuna's apartment is bare (though Saji isn't really surprised by it), and Saji hides a wince as Setsuna's frown grows impossibly deeper. "Uh," he starts, unsure. "I don't—I mean, if he doesn't want to—"

"What was he going to do if he didn't come out?" Mark asks, and Saji would think it were a challenge if not for the huge, shit-eating grin on his face. "Lay on the floor and decide how he'd like to murder us?"

Saji chances a quick look to his neighbor's face and decides that that's likely what he's envisioning right now, anyway. "I'd rather not be murdered," he ventures, not sure of what else to say, and Mark laughs again—even Allelujah cracks a smile.

"He won't kill us," Mark assures him—then glances to Setsuna's face and quickly amends—"He won't kill _you._ If he could kill us and pass it off as a workplace accident he'd probably try it, but I think our boss would cotton on pretty quickly."

"Is—" Saji falters, because the idea of someone hiring a boy as young as Setsuna to do potentially dangerous work seems ridiculous to him, "Is what you do dangerous?"

Mark barks a laugh, leaning back into the couch, throwing an arm along the back, and grins widely at Saji. "Nah," he says casually. "But he's creative, you know. Could probably kill us a dozen times over with what's in this room if he really wants to."

Saji glances around their relatively sparse living room, trying to keep his eyes from widening as he tries to imagine how anything could be turned into a murder weapon—until he turns back to Mark and sees the grin on his face. "Jeez, you're almost as bad as Tieria," the older man muses, but before Saji can ask who Tieria might be, his phone vibrates in his pocket.

Mark raises an eyebrow at him as Saji feels his face coloring, and he digs through the loose change there before retrieving his phone. Allelujah hesitantly moves to sit next to Mark from where he's been hovering rather awkwardly near the door, but Setsuna does not move, his booted feet surely tracking all sorts of dirt all over the carpet as he glares death at the three of them.

Saji swears under his breath when he reads the caller ID—it's Louise, and as he glances to the clock in the corner of the screen, he realizes he should have picked her up nearly half an hour ago for their planned date. "Uh, just a second," he says, unsure why he's apologizing to these people that he met less than five minutes ago, but Mark only snorts, waving a hand vaguely in his direction as the other reaches for the TV remote.

Saji retreats down the hall to his bedroom and shuts the door in an effort to block out the noise—Louise can certainly get shrill when she's upset, and she'll take it as a personal slight if he doesn't answer with video, too. So he hits _answer_ , sitting on his bed heavily, and hopes she doesn't chew him out too badly.

"Saji!" she says, clearly upset. "Where are you? I thought we were going to dinner!"

There's a clear pout on her face that Saji knows means he's already lost whatever argument might be brewing, and so he sighs, bites the inside of his cheek as he tries to figure out how best to explain to her what's transpired. "Some guys just came over, a bit ago," he settles on eventually, and her frown deepens. "I got distracted, I'm sorry—"

"Who's _some guys?_ " she demands, skepticism all over her face, and Saji sighs.

"I've told you about Setsuna—a couple of his friends are in town, and they decided to crash our apartment instead of his."

"I thought you said Setsuna didn't have any friends," Louise says dubiously, and Saji shrugs rather helplessly.

"I thought so too, but—well, they work together, at least, and they're sitting in the living room, so…"

Louise frowns at him a bit more before nodding, apparently coming to a decision. "I'm coming over," she says severely. "Unless you're man enough to kick them out of your apartment so you can pick me up…"

"Louise!" he says, his voice rising a bit. "I can't just—"

"That's what I thought," she says, heaving a sigh, "but we're supposed to have a date tonight, and if they're going to ruin it, I at least want to meet your guests. I'll be there in ten."

Saji's brows furrow, but before he can say anything to the contrary, Louise has hung up on him—and he is left staring at his blank phone screen, trying to imagine how this meeting could possibly not go terribly.

Honestly, he can't think of many scenarios—and so he decides he'll just have to run preparation and damage control, because Setsuna and his friends surely don't know what they're getting themselves into.

Mark turns when he reenters the living room, raising an eyebrow at his surely harried state. Allelujah also turns from the news broadcast they've tuned into, but Setsuna is pointedly avoiding his friends—has retrieved an apple and a glass of milk from the kitchen (Saji tries not to frown) and is chewing his latest bite defiantly as he stares directly at Saji.

Well, he supposes, it'll make for an interesting evening.

"Uh," he starts, and falters—because even if he does need to warn these people about Louise, he's not entirely sure how to go about it. "That was my girlfriend. She's, uh, coming over."

Allelujah blinks at him, confusion flooding his face, but Mark's brows only rise higher as he turns to face Saji fully. "You want us out?" he asks, something like vague amusement growing across his face, and Saji understands the connotations—though it seems to go over the others' heads. He feels his face coloring, but he shakes his head.

"She, um, said she wants to meet you. Because you made me miss our date."

Mark's brows rise higher as his grin grows ever more amused. "Sounds like a winner," he ventures with a snort. "Is she gonna kill us, too? That'll probably just piss off Setsuna even more."

There's a very loud, deliberate crunching noise from the kitchen as Setsuna takes another bite, but Saji keeps himself from turning. "I don't think so," he says, "but she seemed pretty upset, so…"

"Reassuring," Mark says with a sharp nod as he reaches up to ruffle at his hair. "Well, you want us out, just say the word, yeah?"

Saji sits rather uncomfortably in the armchair beside the couch but soon falls into easy conversation with Mark, who's clearly making an effort to keep the atmosphere light—and even Allelujah, who seems marginally more comfortable than before, joins in. They're surprisingly tight-lipped about their work—Mark explains rather shortly that it's "confidential—and not too exciting, anyway"—but Saji is able to glean confirmation that Japan is not Setsuna's normal haunt—that he comes here whenever he gets time off.

"Why?" he asks the two of them (for Setsuna is all but gnawing at the apple core, now, apparently determined to get as much fruit off of it before he throws it away), and Mark only shrugs.

"Seems to like it well enough," he says, though by his tone Saji can easily tell it's an educated guess. He supposes it's better than he'd ever know himself (though the idea of Setsuna actually enjoying something seems utterly beyond reality). He takes it at face value as Allelujah turns the subject, asking him curiously about some of the souvenirs on the TV table.

It's halfway into Saji's animated retelling of his, Kinue's, and their father's trip to America when he was small (Allelujah listens with rapt attention, while Mark looks amused by the story—and Setsuna has seated himself at the kitchen table, now only sipping at his milk) when the front door clicks. Saji stops his story mid-sentence to hear Louise pull her shoes off in the front hall and all but throw them to the ground before she appears around the corner. She doesn't look especially angry, but she's carrying herself rather stiffly in a way that alarms Saji as she takes in the three newcomers to the apartment.

"Uh, hi, Louise," he says, standing quickly, making to introduce them all. "You know Setsuna, and—these are his friends, Mark and—"

"His friends who are more important than a _date_ with your _girlfriend,_ apparently," Louise bites out, a frown blossoming on her face as she glares at Setsuna—clearly seeing him as the least threatening of the three of them—the one she can safely chew out. The boy stares rather blandly back at her, his signature scowl ever on his face though he doesn't seem willing to muster the effort to do much more against her. "Saji, why would you—"

"Oi, it's really our fault," Mark calls, putting out his hands, clearly trying to placate. "We invited ourselves over, Saji was too polite to turn us away—we can leave if you'd like? No harm done!"

"I don't even _want_ to go out, anymore," she says rather despairingly, though there's still that deep pout on her face that Saji has long grown to dread. "Our date's _ruined_ …"

Saji glances a look to Allelujah and Mark—the former is staring between Saji and Louise with wide eyes, clearly unsure of the problem—and Mark only looks rather bemused, sending a small shrug Saji's way. He supposes he couldn't hope to get help from these near-strangers, but still—an upset Louise does not mean a happy _anyone else,_ and if he can de-escalate the situation, he really should—soon.

"We could go shopping tomorrow," he suggests, though he knows his current paycheck is stretched tight as-is—and she huffs, staring up at him dubiously.

"I thought I was paying for dinner because you needed money for rent? How do you expect to buy me anything if—"

"How about," Mark says loudly, cutting her off, and Louise's head whips around to him incredulously. "We order some take-out and eat in? I'll pay, don't worry about it—and if you want us to leave, we leave."

Saji considers the idea of being alone with a pissed-off Louise before Kinue gets home, and realizes very quickly that this is something he Does Not Want—and hopes Mark understands the rather desperate expression on his face as he looks his way. He seems to, because his brows rise fractionally before he turns to his friend, still seated stubbornly at the table. "Oi, Setsuna, what's good 'round here? Any Chinese we could ring up?"

Setsuna's perpetual frown grows deeper as he glances to Mark, and does not put forward the effort to answer. "There's an Indian place a few streets down that Louise likes," Saji offers after a moment, hoping this, at least, will start to pacify her. "That all right with you?"

"Sounds great!" Mark agrees, and Allelujah nods, looking rather intrigued. Mark pulls up the restaurant on his phone after Saji gives him the name, gives the general _waddya want_ call to the rest of them, and quickly places the online order for delivery.

"That's really not necessary," Saji tries to object (though Indian food—especially the more expensive stuff that Louise favors—sounds much better than any of the leftovers they have in the fridge). "Kinue should be home in a bit, we could—"

"It's the least we can do," Mark says decisively, smiling winningly at Louise—whose grumpy exterior seems to have softened at the prospect of good food she won't have to pay for. "Young love, and all—we never meant to get between you two!"

Saji stutters out a denial even as Louise seems to consider Mark in a new light. "What are you even doing here?" she asks, still rather confrontational, but better than she was mere minutes ago.

Mark grins rather ruefully at her. "We're—uh—not exactly from around here, figured we'd crash at Setsuna's place. But he didn't have anything to do, and we ran into Saji this morning, so…we, uh, kinda invited ourselves over."

"That's rude," Louise points out, even as Setsuna shoots a sharp glare in his friend's direction.

"Yeah, I guess so," Mark says, and he sounds honestly sorry for it. "Like I said, won't happen again—we've gotta get back to work tomorrow, and I doubt Setsuna would let us into the country again if he could manage it."

Setsuna glares some more and stands up, his empty glass in hand as he goes to the sink to rinse it. Louise looks after him with a frown (though Saji has long known this is how his strange neighbor operates, she seems to take it as a personal slight) before Allelujah asks her how she and Saji met—and though it's usually a throwaway question, Saji has realized that questions this man asks seem strangely earnest.

As Louise enthusiastically jumps into the story (she loves to tell it, after all, because it makes Saji look ridiculous), Saji tries to figure out these two strange men. Allelujah speaks English with a Chinese accent, though his ancestry seems more reminiscent of Setsuna's—and he's been looking about their modest apartment with stifled awe, as if unused to seeing such a living space. Mark, on the other hand, is clearly familiar with a home and cheerful enough—though his eyes are sharp, just as they were this morning, as if he's expecting to get jumped at any moment.

Saji's first instinct from earlier—that they're either mafia or Celestial Being itself—wouldn't seem so far off, if only the two of them didn't seem so _human._ And, after all, he thinks he'd realize if his own _neighbor_ was someone like that.

Setsuna does not return to the table, for Louise has taken the adjacent chair; he only stands in the kitchen, glaring at them all with his arms crossed over his chest. Louise finishes the story with obvious relish, and Mark snorts a laugh, grinning at Saji, though he's long gotten over the embarrassing parts as an occupational hazard of dating Louise. Just as it did earlier, conversation between the four of them flows easily—Louise is much more talkative than Saji to begin with, and now that she seems less upset with Setsuna and his friends, she's her usual, chatty self.

Saji is content to be pulled along for the ride until the front door slams open—Setsuna turns sharply, in Saji's peripherals, and Mark's hand goes unconsciously for his waistband as he rises a bit off the couch. But then Kinue's shrill voice flies in from the door—

"Saji, why did you order enough Indian food for a _week?_ I had to tip the deliveryman with all my spare cash—"

Mark falls back onto the couch with a soft _oomph,_ and though Setsuna's glare has grown increasingly frustrated, his posture has also relaxed. Saji throws them all an apologetic grin as he hurries to help his sister with the food, quick to explain that he wasn't the one who ordered it, no, I didn't pay for it either, it's a long story but we've got some visitors and so—

Kinue's brows rise higher and higher as Saji takes a couple of carry-out bags from her arms, carrying them into the kitchen and side-stepping a stubborn Setsuna to put them down on the counter. "Uh, this is my sister," he calls to Mark and Allelujah. "Kinue, this is Setsuna, our neighbor—and these are his friends, Mark and Allelujah."

"Hi," she says, rather shortly, as her eyebrows rise even further. "What are you doing here?"

"Just hanging out with Saji for a bit," Mark says, heaving himself up off the couch deliberately. "Sorry to bug you, we should probably be heading out anyway. You're welcome to the food."

"Why did you—" she stares at him incredulously as Allelujah follows his friend, smiling a bit nervously at Kinue and thanking Saji for his hospitality as he passes. Saji turns to confront Setsuna about this (for he was standing closest), but he realizes the boy is gone from the apartment entirely.

Mark grins back at Saji and Louise as he grabs the front door's handle, hollers a _thanks again_ back toward them, and closes the door. Kinue stares after him for several moments, evidently struck speechless—and then rounds on Saji.

"What on _Earth_ was that about?"

.

.

The next morning, as he leaves for class, Saji's ears are still ringing from Kinue's dressing-down and from Louise's continued displeasure at their botched date. At the very least, Kinue had eventually decided, they got plenty of free food out of the deal, and Setsuna's friends didn't wreck the apartment—and Louise has agreed to a date next weekend instead, after Saji's been paid again.

He's so relieved that everything's worked out in his favor that as he turns to lock the door behind him, he almost doesn't register movement in front of Setsuna's door, to his left.

He looks over, wondering whether Mark and Allelujah are back to bother their co-worker some more, but it's only Setsuna—a light satchel is strapped securely across his shoulder, and he seems in something of a rush as he turns, pocketing his keys and making toward the elevator down the hall.

"Setsuna!" he calls after him without thought, and very quickly regrets it—the stare his neighbor levels him with is angrier than normal, and Saji can tell easily that he would rather be anywhere but here. "Where are you headed?"

"Back to work," Setsuna says shortly, clearly unhappy about saying even this much—and Saji frowns at the sudden discrepancy.

"Aren't—did Mark and Allelujah not stay with you? I thought, since they don't—"

"They rented a hotel room," Setsuna says, and if it was anyone else, Saji would almost detect a hint of dark amusement under his tone.

He frowns at his neighbor as he attempts to figure this out—obviously, Setsuna was furious with the two of them yesterday for dragging him into a social situation, but—aren't they—"I thought they were your friends," he says, the words sounding ridiculous even as they pass his lips. After all, Setsuna F. Seiei is the most anti-social person Saji has ever met; despite Mark's overt friendliness and Allelujah's quiet appeal, Saji got the impression that Setsuna has been strong-armed into something approaching acquaintanceship, but—the idea of Setsuna considering them his _friends_ is…

"They are," Setsuna says after several moments of silence, staring hard at Saji—and then he turns on his heel, disappearing down the hall.


End file.
